Pray & Act

Pray and Act 
By Ben S. Malayang III, President  

Silliman and our Dumaguete community were spared of the most destructive wrath of Yolanda and the Bohol earthquake. Many elsewhere were not. This is most heart-warming as it is most heart-wrenching. Others may want to engage in debating theological and political issues on the whys or what-could-have-been-done-better about them (which Silliman would certainly join in the future), but for now our students, faculty, staff, alumni and leadership community in our campus, church and community, have decided to first do what we believe are two most urgent things: PRAY and ACT.

Our prayers are individual and collective. So are our actions.

Our prayers may not be theologically high-sounding, but they are sincere and actually outflows of both smiles of gratitude and tears of anguish of our souls.

Our actions (to quickly attend to the distress of our affected students, personnel and alumni, give them care, and put together a relief effort for affected areas including psycho-social recovery assistance) may be modest, but heartfelt.

We plan to do more and continue what we do even after these tragedies.

We do all these because this is what Silliman is — today, as before; this year, as in the years past.

We do this because in Silliman we teach love, justice and service to people, country and God. Acting them out the best we can is the ultimate measure of our commitment to what we teach, and the best way of actually teaching them.

Not praying and not acting are not options in Silliman.

And more can be done, when more Sillimanians come to join and lend a hand. 

God bless all!